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Who can apply

Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply. There are two criteria that must be met:

Criteria 1 - Eligibility

On the first day of term one (29 January 2018) or the first day of term two (18 April 2018), a parent or legal guardian of a student must:

be an eligible beneficiary of one of these cards:Veterans Affairs Gold CardCentrelink Health Care CardPensioner Concession Card

OR they must be a temporary foster parent

OR the student is 16 years or older and holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card)

AND the parent or legal guardian must submit an application by the due date.

Parents who receive a carer allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with the above.

Eligibility will be determined when the parent’s concession card successfully validates with Centrelink on either the first day of term one or term two.

If the eligible card is in the name of the student, the fund is only granted to that student, not their siblings.

Criteria 2 - Be of school age and attend a Victorian school

For the purposes of CSEF, students may be eligible for assistance if they attend a Victorian registered primary or secondary school. Typically, these students are aged between five and 18 years.

School is compulsory for all Victorian children aged between six and 17 years of age.

CSEF is not payable to students attending pre-school, kindergarten, TAFE or who are home schooled.

Special consideration

Special consideration is given to:

Families on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, are in community detention or are asylum seeker families

A letter from the Australian Red Cross, AMES, or similar organisation is required as evidence. A copy of an 'immi' card is also acceptable evidence.

Students in out of home care

Institutions such as Mackillop Family Services, Anglicare, Berry Street Victoria and other Community Service Organisations are eligible to make an application for students residing on a short term or long term basis. The carer or Community Service Organisation should alert the school of the requirement for a special consideration application

Students in statutory kinship care

The care arrangement must be formalised through the Department of Health and Human Services. The carer should request that DHHS or a Community Service Organisation supervising the placement provide a letter confirming the statutory kinship care arrangement to enable the application to be assessed.

Payment amounts

Payments are:

$125 per year for eligible primary school students

$225 per year for eligible secondary school students.

Payments are made directly to the school and are tied to the student. Most payments start from March onwards.

Applications can be received over term one and two. Payments are for the application year and cannot be claimed for previous years.

Year 7 and Prep students in government schools who receive the fund are also able to get support for school uniforms. For more information regarding this initiative, see
State Schools' Relief.

The CSEF payment cannot be used towards voluntary school charges, books, stationery, school uniforms, before/after school care, music lessons, or formals/graduations.

School administrators can find information on how to process CSEF applications at
Schools: Manage CSEF.

Submit an application

If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2017, you do not need to complete an application form in 2018 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. Your child's school will apply for the CSEF on your behalf.

You will only need to submit an application form in 2018 if any of the following changes have occurred:

new student enrolments: your child has started or changed schools in 2018 or you did not apply at the same school in 2017

changed family circumstances: such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2018.

Schools are able to accept and process applications up until the end of term two each year.

If there's shared custody

The payment system only allows one application per student. Parents in shared custody situations must make the decision beforehand who applies for the CSEF at the school on behalf of their children.

Schools should not be put into the position of arbitrating this decision.

Schools can contact the Department's CSEF Helpdesk for advice on 1800 060 970.

If you have already paid for some activities

If you have already paid for some camp, sports or excursion costs up front, you have the option to:

allocate the payment towards remaining activities in 2018

carry over the amount to be used on eligible activities in 2019

create a family credit for the money to be used on other expenses. It is up to the school whether they agree to this option. The school must demonstrate the CSEF payment was utilised towards approved activities.

CSEF funds cannot be directly refunded to families.

If the student is completing primary or secondary school

For students completing year 6 in 2018:

Unspent funds are usually transferred to their high school. If the amount is small, the schools may agree not to transfer funds as long as the new school commits to provide the student with assistance to the same amount.

The school has the option of creating a family credit according to the rules above.

For students completing year 12 in 2018:

Schools have the option of allocating unspent funds to the student's siblings once the student leaves school.

Schools have the option of creating a family credit according to the rules above.

If none of these options are feasible, remaining CSEF funds will stay with the school and may be used towards school-incurred costs for camps, sports activities and excursions.

Information flyers

An information flyer to assist schools with communicating the availability of the CSEF to parents is available for download.